nicoff

I checked out the new Q7 and agree with you that the technology in that car is amazing. I went the A7 route because I concluded that I did not need the third row seats. Today I thought that I was going to miss the LX on my trip to Lowe's. But the A7 passed a test after letting me carry a few wood pieces nearly 7 feet long (I fit them through the ski slot of the back seats).
There is a new breed of SUVs on the way: the ultra luxury SUVs (Bentley, Lamborghini and others). Maybe Toyota USA will let the LC be what the LC is elsewhere in the world and move the Lexus LX to a higher level to compete in that league. Just a wild thought.

MattBianco

HUD is new technology for all the makers now, and the pole position will change. For now, it is BMW, with a nicely sized HUD area about 8x3.5:

- Graphic Navi directions
- Speed
- Speed limit info (camera constantly scans road signs)
- Address book
- Music search (tracks, stations, etc.)
- Caller ID
- Road hazards
- Speed
- Lane departure warning
- Pre collision warnings
- Radar cruise distance, speed, memory
- Beautiful, minimalistic colors
- Nightvision alerts for pedestrians in the dark (actual images on display)
- Turn signals (can be coded, offered in other markets as standard) indications
- next song queued on iTunes radio

They all come on just at the right time, and go away at the right times I have not seen anything like it.

I keep reading the Lexus manual hoping to be less insulted by the tech. Finally I figured out how to keep the music going after I turn off the car, without interruption. A very odd maneuver: don't go to P (park), turn car off first, then go to P. Great. But there is a catch. To turn off the music you then have to press the start/stop button three more times if you do this (1 accessories; 2 ignition power 3 off). Just unbelievable. Locking doors should shut the music at that point, but if you try that you get the key away beeps instead.

AKoch

I also struggle where to go from the current LX470. The LX570 has been a disappointment. Still waiting to see what the next one will be like, but not holding high hopes. The vehicle that used to be an icon for an off-road world is evolving to a soccer mom minivan/SUV. So perhaps a Mercedes Gelandewagen (which I always hoped I would not have to do again, I used to own a G320)

Dudley33

MattBianco--- thanks for the description of the BMW heads up display. Obviously the 2016 LX with this heads up display option doesn't have every single one of those features, but it has many of them, and it is customizable-- it does include speed limit, cruise setting, radar cruise settings, pre-collision warnings, other warnings, radio station and other audio settings, lane departure, navigation turns, using different colors-- in your experience with the LX 2016, what do you think is missing from Lexus's implementation of heads up display?

MattBianco

I experience the LX '16 HUD in a 3 mile test drive. What it lacks vs. BMW is size, clarity, ease of use, graphics design. I could not scroll through music. I asked if I can see the caller name (no one called me during the drive) and was told no. I could not scroll the address book.

My guess is that BMW's will fall behind someone else's within 12 months. This is an emerging area and it is going to undergo a lot of changes, improving with each new implementation..

SaniDel

Thank you for summarizing your experience, which is similar to ours. We owned ten Lexus over the past twenty years ... six LX, an SC, RX, LS and our last Lexus was a 2010 GX 460. We were ready, willing and able to trade the GX for a 2016 LX ... until we saw its front grille.

I particularly appreciate the comments others have made about reliability being expected, especially in luxury SUVs and the growing importance of telematics. Toyota/Lexus always had the former, but hasn't gotten the latter. Perhaps they heard too many complaints about styling, but their solution was not to our liking.

Like you, we moved in another direction ... switching brands and platforms from a Lexus BoF SUV to a Mercedes-Benze unibody crossover. It doesn't have the off-road prowess of the Lexus SUV, but we never went off-road. It displays full text messages WHILE we are driving. Best of all, it looks great in our garage from all angles.

Ashron

Remember that the 2016 LX 570 is a second refresh. So Lexus isn't going to go "all In" on this car. They upgraded the interior and added just enough gizmos to make claims they too have certain features. The new flagship LS is scheduled to come out soon. (Later this year I believe). My guess is that Lexus is saving all the goodies and major upgrades for that car's launch. Thereafter, they will share those new/upgraded featurs with the rest of their models. But since the LX was just redone and since it sells so few units, I doubt Lexus will share any of those new/upgraded features with the 2016/2017/2018 LX. So realistically, the LX will only get the new/upgraded features when its completely re-designed in 2019. (or maybe 2018). Until then, it will remain behind the curve. Which is why I chose not to purchase the new LX. (I wasn't planning on leaving Lexus, but since the new LX is soooo disappointing I will use this opportunity to try something different. I'm leaning towards a Mercedes S550) As it turns out, quite a few other LX owners are switching to other brands and models. Many current LX owners either got tired of waiting for the new LX, or, when it finally came out were disappointed and are moving on.

T4Fun

oh, the grill aint all that bad.
wait till you drive the LX.
Very lackluster handling and acceleration. I feel the gx drives better if you imagine that.
youre better off keeping the GX until they redo the LX in 2019.

Really getting sick and tired of the lack of driving performance in Lexus models. They are changing, but very slowly.

Dudley33

I appreciate the comments of everyone on this thread, and I would like to hear more "point by point" comparisons to competing SUV trucks. This is a thread about why people have left Lexus, I get that. As you can tell from my other comments, I bought a 2016 LX to replace a loaded 2005 LS 430 and a 2004 LX, and I've very happy so far. I like the new grill, the Lexus reliability, and the new tech. I also need the ability to do mountain and snow driving, and carry 8 passengers when needed. To me, the handling and acceleration is great, very smooth and powerful, just as nice as the LS 430 and light years ahead of the 2004 LX. I cross-shopped the technology with other SUV's and I don't see that the LX is behind the curve of other SUVs, except for the Tesla Model X. While some features are different, I don't see one tech feature in the Mercedes, Audi or BMW SUVs that is substantially better than the 2016. The LX beats every other SUV on the market with the size and flexibility of the main navigation/phone/etc. screen (that displays in 1-3 sections as you prefer, plus the dash screen in front of the steering wheel, plus the HUD display Yes, the Lexus reads you the texts rather than display the texts while you are moving, but I prefer that when I am driving--- that's not a technology advantage, its a debatable safety feature. Not having Apple Car Play is a big disappointment, but none of the competition has it either, and Siri Eyes Free does provide some of the functionality. In any event would love to keep hearing the details about the competing SUVs.

LordBowral

Just you wait ... You'll be back ! 😊

MattBianco

Lexus and Toyota are inspired by Darth Vader me thinks.

Non US owners may know the Toyota Alphard, which also got a new grille for 2015. And it too is blessed/cursed with the same theme:

nicoff

What a sad looking thing!

LordBowral

I've just got back from Asia and they are everywhere ... Amazing vehicles to ride in . That pic is a bad angle

hankinid

I wish I'd already eaten before I saw the picture,

Steve

yakim